Jesus made it quite clear that Heaven — at least the “Kingdom of Heaven” that he was fond of talking about — was not some glorious place we head to after we die. No, for Jesus at least, Heaven was (and still is) already “at hand” — Heaven was (and still is) all around every one of us in every moment of our lives — Heaven was (and still is) “within” us all in every instant; waiting to be accessed whenever we wished to do so.

“The Kingdom of Heaven is not coming in the future with things that can be observed, for truly, the Kingdom of Heaven is already both within and all around you.” ~ Jesus Christ (Luke 17:20-21)

For those who feel capable of accepting this as Truth — for all you “liberal Christians” & atheists & agnostics & Buddhists & Taoists & Sikhs & Hindus & Jews, I highly recommend going forth and acting accordingly … I highly recommend going forth to live this day as if it will be your very last — serving others in need, reveling in the immense beauty of Nature & the Heavens, and generally having a grand old time just being alive at all; laughing & singing & dancing & hugging & Loving the whole day through.

Of course, I also realize that many a conservative Christian (those who primarily follow the Biblical teachings of Paul) will beg to differ with this interpretation — that many who take the Bible literally will argue not only that Heaven is a place of never-ending glory & pleasure & ease where only the “worthy” are allowed to reside for eternity after their death, but that the eternal damnation of Hell awaits all “the unsaved” — that the rest of us can only look forward to an inevitable eternity of pain & punishment.

Fair enough … Personally, I don’t see how a deity who could inflict such massive amounts of unjust torment on millions of people is in any way worthy of our worship (Either way, He is most certainly not a God who is all-powerful & all-Loving), and yet all of us who have chosen to be “humble as children” must admit that this version of reality might indeed be true; that just such a future might indeed await most of humanity.

AND YET, if the Bible truly is to be taken literally, then we can ALL — Christians & non-Christians alike — take Heart and REJOICE in the following fact: that according to the Bible itself, there is not now, nor will there ever be, such a God-inflicted damnation!

To prove this point, consider the following bit of “Biblical math”:

*Fact #01) At least as it is professed by traditional Christian dogma, Hell is a punishment administered by God upon all those deemed “unworthy” of Heaven. Yes, some Christians like to say that it isn’t a punishment at all — that it is simply a consequence that we “sinners” choose to inflict upon ourselves, and yet most of us understand that this is a patently ridiculous argument. After all, only the most warped of sado-masochists would ever willingly choose to suffer for eternity, and there simply aren’t that many pain-adoring folks around. If we are allowed to “call a spade a spade” — then we are allowed to call Hell what it is: a punishment.

*Fact #02) The Bible makes it very clear that all punishment is tainted by fear, and that perfect Love contains no fear … in fact that perfect Love “casts out ALL fear” … (see 1 John 4:18)

*Fact #03) Jesus himself makes it just as clear in the Bible that God’s LOVE is absolutely perfect … (see Matthew 5:48)

Sooooooo, IF the Bible is indeed correct, and IF it is indeed to be read literally, then God’s Love is perfect …

… and thereby contains no fear …

… and thereby is completely unable to inflict any punishment upon us whatsoever; including (& especially) Hell!

Well done, God …
Well done in-deed!

 

“There is no fear in Love, but perfect Love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in Love.” ~ 1 John 4:18

“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in Heaven; for He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you only love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? … Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” ~ Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:44-48)

“God the Father judges no one, but has rather given all judgment to the Son … You might judge by human standards, and yet I judge no one … Indeed, I do not judge anyone who hears my words and yet still does not keep them … For I have said these things to you so that my Joy might be in you, and that your Joy might be complete.” ~ Jesus Christ (John 5:22, 8:15, 12:47 & 15:11)

Filed under: My Favorite Verses by Scaughdt